The Keys To Lebanon - Written by: Mathew Jammaz

Since Independence on November 22, 1943, Lebanon showed small degrees of prosperity along with one of the most vicious and tragic wars in recent history. For 16 years, Lebanon was played like a game; contestants were the Superpowers at the time, and the Israelis, the Palestinians and other Arab nations.

After 16 years of war, Lebanon has still not been able to stand on its own feet or move under its own power. It has showed willingness to do so, even taking a few steps in the right direction, but many factors that weren’t apparent 20 years ago are now directly in Lebanon’s path to success, hindering its future and repeating the past. Like locked doors, these obstacles are blocking a potentially clear and bright future.

When visible conflict ended in 1990, Lebanon was left with an economy in ruins, destroyed infrastructure, enormous public debt, occupation by 2 countries, loose militias, almost half of a million refugees and the same political divisions that helped spark the war in the first place.

Today, Lebanon is a country struggling to breathe, gasping for air as Syria continues its chokehold over the political and economical landscape. Every political decision in Lebanon is processed in Damascus, and disapproval is not taken lightly, which was the case recently with Progressive Socialist Party MP Marwan H'madee.

Economically, Syria has Lebanon pinned in a corner. Syrian-made goods that are not sold in Syria, are dumped into the Lebanese market for a lower cost then domestically produced goods. There are over 1 million foreign workers in Lebanon, the majority being Syrian. By international standards, these workers don’t even need visas and are working for lower wages then the average Lebanese wage. What’s worse is the fact that Lebanese employers are actually employing the foreign workers instead of hiring from the Lebanese work force.

To be released from this grip, Lebanon should not turn to outside interference such as the United States, which would just be a repeat of history. Instead, Lebanese should be up to the task themselves because it is THEIR country and THEIR future. Syria and
Lebanon could mutually benefit each other under a framework that models other countries with close relations, such as the relationship between Canada and the United States.

Corruption is a major obstacle in Lebanon’s path. There is a great amount of wealth flowing into the county every year, yet the debt continues to grow, the people continue to starve and the politicians continue their life of luxury. Corruption is one of the main forces that make Lebanon lag behind the world community because everything in Lebanon has a price tag, from disciplinary exemptions to reservations in high society to life itself. What are politicians doing? Except stealing and bowing to Syria, Nothing.

Corruption cant last forever, history has taught us that lesson. Along with politicians, police, soldiers, and other civil servants should abide by rules and regulations and should be disciplined for corruption. A society cannot grow and become healthy without the sense of trust that people have in law enforcement, civil servants, politicians and government in general.

All militias were to be disbanded following the Taif Accords in 1990. To this day, all but one remains, Hizbullah. The Party of God, credited with accelerating Israel’s withdrawal from South Lebanon in 2000, is just another pawn in the game of Lebanon. Having an armed militia along with a National army is a negative aspect that hurts Lebanon’s credibility internationally and also does no good for the Lebanese people. All this does is help to contribute to sectarianism. Hizbullah is a puppet of Syria, a way to put pressure on Israel is through direct conflict with Hizbullah. Disbanding Hizbullah’s militia wing and only allowing it to operate as a political party would help to unify the Lebanese, because the Lebanese Army would be the body that would fill the void left by Hizbullah’s removal and it would also give its supporters a venue of voice in government. With a single body made up of all the sects of Lebanon to guard Lebanon, public moral would positively increase.

Lebanese unity is the ultimate factor that will decide Lebanon’s future. Under the current sectarian government, nothing has been achieved. Lebanon must reform the way the government is set-up based on the political spectrum, not the religious one. Political parties should be made of people that share the same political beliefs, not the same religious beliefs. Reform is possible because keeping the status quo, staying the same, is not an option and going to war with each other again is impossible because after a 16 year war, we have learned that no real winner will emerge from battle.

The keys to a better future are in front of all Lebanese, if they are not picked up now, Lebanon’s potential may be hidden behind locked doors forever.